Travel photography

“Iyam what I yam, and that’s all what I yam.” -Popeye the Sailor (1980 Musical Film) Work–life balance is essential for finding time to pursue study and personal interests. My favorite pastime for the past 25 years or so had been writing, but gradually, it gave way to several other diverse kinds of interests. Presently, I have three major interests besides regular exercise, which has been my favorite pastime from 3rd-year MBBS onward. These are travel, photography, and book collection, all of which are interconnected. The link between travel and photography does not require justification or explanation. With time, the passion for travel grew so much that I started traveling solo and delving into the history, geography, culture, monuments, and museums of the places I visited. Every visit involved detailed itinerary planning based on logistics, study of the maps, and travel guides. For India, my bible has been “Penguin Guide to The Monuments of India,” published in 1999. This is perhaps the most authoritative guide about the land and its people, historical perspective, social structure, and a gazetteer of art and architecture of six principal regions of India, i.e., North India, the Himalayan valleys, East India, West India, the Deccan, and South India. With advancements in digital technology, I started capturing the nature, wildlife, people, historical places, museums, religious places, forts, and palaces photographically [Figures 1-4]. Traveling to nearly all Indian States and about 35 countries from all continents except South America, the Arctic Circle, and Antarctica, I have penetrated several places of interest beyond the usual touristy destinations. On a typical day, I target 500–800 pictures, most of which turn out to be worth preserving. Presently, I have a collection of more than 400,000 digital pictures. An occasional photographic exhibition enables exposure. Some travel guides have also incorporated my pictures as illustrations.Figure 1: Clockwise from top: Jellyfish (Singapore, Sentosa Island), Gray Count Butterfly Larva (Penang, Malaysia), Malayan Leaf Frog (Penang, Malaysia), and Flying Seagulls (Bombay High)Figure 2: Clockwise from top: Tiger (Ranthambore, Rajasthan, India), Shoebill-Whale-headed Stork, (Jurong Bird Park, Singapore), Himalayan Wolf (Darjeeling), and Hungry Crocodiles (Coconut Island, Mekong Delta, Vietnam)Figure 3: Clockwise from top: Hue Palace – The old capital of Vietnam, the Great China Wall (Badaling, near Beijing, China), Tomb of Tamerlane (Samarkand, Uzbekistan), and Golden Temple (Amritsar, Punjab, India)Figure 4: Clockwise from top: Great Buddha Dordenma (Thimphu, Bhutan), Monument to Francis II, the last Holy Roman Emperor (Hofburg Palace, Vienna), Parasailing at Ferringhi beach (Penang, Malaysia), Way to Fruit Island (Mekong Delta, Vietnam), and Dance Performance (India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, India)What will I ultimately do with all these pictures? Maybe some museum will acquire it or I will create my own website but I have not made up my mind yet. However, even if I don’t make any such use of these pictures, photography has taught me a unique skill which comes handy for me in day-to-day life. While taking a picture, attention on a person of interest requires concentrating on eyes that tell me a lot about that person. The habit of looking straight into others’ eyes even when I am not taking a picture has become so ingrained in my mind that now I am able to see through others just by looking at them. Eye expressions reveal aspects of a person’s thoughts, emotions, and character. Indeed, William Shakespeare in his play “Richard III, Act 4, Scene 2,” wrote “your eyes are windows into your soul.” Cicero, the Roman statesman and philosopher (106-43 BCE) and Plato, the ancient Greek philosopher also made some similar statements. Traveling has also given me ample opportunity to collect some interesting books. It is my endeavor to bring back 10–15 books of local and regional interest, which are not so easily available elsewhere, from each trip. Besides that, I also acquire 40–50 books a month on an average from various bookshops, Sunday markets, and online platforms. The collection has steadily grown into nearly 4000 books on history, art, biography, memoirs, travel guides, encyclopedias, and museum guides. Besides these, nearly 8000 books have been downloaded from various online resources. It is a pleasure to go through some of them in the darkness of night on an iPad when everybody else in the house is asleep. The books are neatly classified on my bookshelves according to the subject, just like a library [Figure 5]. There are 37 books on Goa, 59 books on Delhi, 40 books on Tibet, Ladakh, and Bhutan, and so on. Some unique books like “The Tale of Genji,” reputed to be the first novel ever written, the last print edition of “Encyclopedia Britannica,” and a 60-volume set of “Great Books of the Western World” are on display in my personal reading room cum studio. The latter serves as a station for the processing of artworks and recording webinars for private circulation.Figure 5: Clockwise from top: Books Sikkim and Bhutan; Last print edition of Encyclopedia Britannica, and Great Books of the Western World; Ancient and Medieval Indian History, and Books on China, Japan, and South East AsiaWhere is this growing collection of photographs and books leading me? It is possible that I may eventually start writing travelogs, memoirs, and coffee table books. The photographic and reference material needed for this endeavor seems to be enough. Time is a limiting factor. If nothing else, books will keep me engaged for the rest of my life, when the time comes when travel comes to a halt and there is nothing else to do, which is highly unlikely though. Talking of books, I am reminded of a saying often attributed to Umberto Eco “if you have interest in books, you don’t need friends.” I agree and taking cue from this, I have gradually signed off from most WhatsApp groups, which is essentially a waste of precious time. I also wish to quote George RR Martin that “a reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, whereas a man who never reads lives only one.” I wish to end by admitting that practicing cardiology has been my bread and butter. There have been ample opportunities to learn all these years and I am still learning. My present area of interest is cell biology, which is challenging but exciting. But limiting my life to work and home has not been my cup of tea. I believe that after basic needs are over, it is possible to actively seek awareness of the broader context and possibilities of life by pursuing personal interests beyond work and home. So I meekly tend to ignore the sarcasm of peers. Sincerely yours and best regards, etc. What is success? It is being able to go to bed each night with your soul at peace. -Paul Coelho Financial support and sponsorship Nil. Conflicts of interest There are no conflicts of interest.